Return to the Future
by Demoragirl
Summary: In a dying world, twins born under the sign of the Black Moon are born. Can these children really be doomed to bring about the end of the world, or are they just the next stage of human kind?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_There are none who do not grow up with the tales of the great warrior and hero, Grendolen. Like mother's milk, it nourishes the young, giving them hope in an otherwise dismal time. And with the innocence of youth, in minds untainted by years of oppression and defeat, her tales really do foster the belief in a better future. Her strength and courage bolster the fragile confidence of the young. She lights the candles, giving them a few brief moments of warmth, before, all to soon, the flickering light is extinguished by reality. But for a very few, Grendolen's tales endure, allowing those individuals to carry with them, the strength to face each day in a dying world. These are the dreamers, the optimists, and the ones that truly don't belong. For they lack the defeated air of those who've been trod upon their whole lives. These individuals do not accept the way things are. They fight against the lives they've been given, always at war within themselves and with those who've given in to their despair. These believers call themselves Grendolen's children, for in a way, they have been created by her undying legacy. It is, of course, an empty name, as Grendolen is nothing more than a child's tale, as everyone knows. Nothing more than a bedtime story._

_Grendolen's origin is never specified. There are none who could verify her family line, her town of origin or her clan. She was one of the nameless wanderers, coming and going with few ever really meeting her. Yet, despite her wraithlike trespass, like a whisper on the wind, tales of the silver haired warrior who moved with speed, grace and strength unparalleled reached the ears of anyone who would listen. Tales of a mind to which there has never been a rival, capable of trickery and turns of phrase that could bend others towards her with skill akin to true magic. Minds were an open book to her, no thought or feeling was a secret. No object dared to stands in her way, for even obstacles many times her size would move themselves to her whim._

_It's undeniable that her powers were such that she could have easily bent the will of all mankind. Yet, never are there any tales of Grendolen seeking dominion. She sought union, and the improvement of the lives of others. It's speculated that most of her deeds went unnoticed, or at least, unattributed: Dried wells that mysteriously yielded water again, crumbling homes once again made livable, abundance of food after a drought. Though no connections could be linked to Grendolen, village children would whisper to each other, and ever-eager eyes watched for some sign of that silver hair. _

_However, while much of Grendolen's life and accomplishments go unverified, ever confined to gossip and rumor, some of her greatest acts are forever recalled, inspiring hope and excitement in the minds of children. The first and perhaps, greatest of her tales, concerns the salvation of an entire village. The name of the village has long since been lost, but the story goes that Grendolen was woken in the night, by a most horrifying dream. In this dream she saw a town perish in fire and flying rock, the very earth splitting open to devour the burning remains. _

_From her journeys Grendolen was familiar with most settlements on this land. But the town was many days walk, through a most barren and unforgiving wasteland. Grendolen knew there was not much time for the town. Her feet flew like the wings of birds across the desolate land, never stopping, never tiring. She ran for the rest of the night, and the spent the daylight hours as well. In that time, she rarely stopped, ate nothing and drank but a little. She did not rest, nor sleep, but neither did she loose any of her fleetnesses. It was not yet nearing night when she reached the village, but the sky was ominously dark with black clouds. The ground beneath her feet vibrated as if a sleeping beast lurked just beneath the surface. Grendolen never uttered a word, but cast her mind to touch every being in the town, issuing them the warning, guiding them out of the town and gathering them together. Still she ran, now from dwelling to dwelling, helping the old, the weak, the sick, carrying some people who weight even more than herself with ease, their weight never slowing her down. _

_Not one was left behind. By they time streaks of light began burning their way across the sky to touch down in explosions of fire and rock, everyone was following Grendolen, frightened, but trusting in her to lead them to safety. Though the ground shook with every collision and pulled at it's seams, Grendolen's composure seemed to keep everyone at relative ease. They followed her even into the dark unknown, a haven made of rock and earth, assumed to lead to the very heart of the world. While uncertain of this dark cave, it seemed to be the only alternative to the sky that rained fire upon them. According to legend, the flaming rocks continued to fall for many days, as if the sky was tantruming from being deprived it's right to stone the villagers to death. In the end, there was nothing left of the town, no crops nor plant life, nor livestock. But everyone had survived. The villagers, fearful of a repeat attack, decided to stay in the cave, protected from the world's vengeance. Grendolen stayed just long enough to help them establish themselves in their town of perpetual night. She showed them where to find water, how to live off the plants that grew in the depths of darkness. Her final act before she left was to name the town, Gamla._

_Any further involvement of Grendolen in the town of Gamla was never verified. _

_That this story survived to be retold is surprising, given the isolation of the people of Gamla. To date, neither records, nor ruins of Gamla have been found. The town is as ephemeral as it's creator, lacing in any solid proof, and yet, never fading away into forgotten myths and legends. But know you this, child. I believe in Gamla, just as I believe in Grendolen. Hold on to these in your heart, young ones, for they will keep you warm. Hold on to Grendolen and her bravery, for someday, you too might be a hero like her._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1. Bad Omens

"Born under a black moon." That's what the inhabitants of the village of Gardinia call it when a child's birth is marked by bad omens and ill events. In a time when life is fraught with disease, famine and natural disasters, people can't help but be superstitious. Every little cloud or sneeze is a sign of possible disaster. A dark way to live life, but for the townspeople of Gardinia, it was the only way they had. It was impossible to remember a time when things seemed to be improving. Things were either bad, or worse. So Gardiniains adapted by clinging to hope of staving off suffering through superstition and use of charms.

One had only to walk through Gardinia to know that it was similar to all settled communities on the eastern continent. The whole world suffered from a steady decline, a rot that lay upon the land and all that lived there. Diseases and a general state of poor health reduced the population in growing increments year after year. The land refused the very work done upon it, producing precious little, either cultivated or wild. Domesticated livestock were as sickly and rare as wild game. With such hardships, it's a wonder that any amount of civilization and organized life endured. To be fair, much of what was, was now gone, though such a thing was hard to verify. When towns and villages vanish, there were usually none left to tell their tale, much less to prove it had once existed. One day there was group of people living in a place, and the next, there was nothing. Such was the fate of many settlements.

Gardinia had the slight fortune of being a little larger and a little less cursed than most. But of course, that only served to make the towns people that much more fearful and suspicious. Outsiders were not only unwelcome; they were run out of town. Anyone baring a sign of illness or any bad luck was similarly removed. Bad as life was in the towns, it was worse in exile. This is why some families were so very guarded; hiding secrets from the town that otherwise might result in their expulsion. Families like the Devrons, one of the least poor families in Gardinia.

It had taken the Lady Devron a very long time to conceive (which in Gardinia was usually seen as a sign that it's best not to try). Still, whether by luck or ill fate, the Lady Devron became pregnant. The following months did not go smoothly for her. The lady suffered most terrible dreams and sickness. She refused to leave the house, in the hopes that keeping her locked away would prevent evil spirits from finding her. However, it did not seem to help, and Lord Devron was worried. He brought the most aged woman in the town, Reza, to his home desperate that she might be able to ease his wife's suffering. But far from easing the Lord Devron's mind, Reza could only offer warnings in a low voice.

"Your wife's unborn fights within her. They are beings of darkness and will cause nothing but the destruction of your line. Nothing good will come of this pregnancy. Be wise and destroy them, before they destroy you."

But the Lady refused to believe it, ignoring both Reza's advice and her husband's pleading. In the end, she locked herself in her room, and refused to see anyone until the time her baby would be born. Reza was sworn to secrecy under threat of death. To ensure her silence, she was kept in the Devron's house to await the birth. She passed the time telling everyone in the house of bad omens she witnessed on a daily basis, more proof that the child had to be destroyed before it was born.

"And in the end, all will crumble and fall. This child will end our way of life. Monsters will live and roam the earth under this demon's reign, and the people of Gardinia will suffer and die. This child will bring about the destruction of the world." The people of the Devron household tried their best to ignore such warnings, but one by one, people disappeared, slinking off during the night, terrified to stay and see what would happen. Eventually, on the day of birthing, none but the Lord and Lady Devron, and Reza, remained within the dwelling.

That was the day that the whole earth shook. When the tremors stopped, there were two new lives, and at least one lost soul. The twins, with hair and eyes as dark as their first night in this world, had brought about the death of their own mother before they'd drawn their first breaths. Their appearance, as much as the death of their mother, seemed to confirm the haunting words of Reza, who was never able to share her ominous prophesy about the twins. The rumors were she died in the tremors, pitifully trapped beneath a clay urn. Lord Devron never spoke of it, and no one thought to question him. And so the passing of the Lady Devron was concealed, her burial occurring under the cover of darkness. None outside the household was to know of her death. In Gardinia it was quite easy for people to disappear into their homes and no one would question it. After all, the world was a dangerous place, one never knew what could be lurking just outside. It was easy to hide the death and keep the ill omens of the late Reza quiet. There was just one problem. The Lord Devron with now left with twin girls, marked by the black moon, and without someone to care for them.

But fate has a funny way of turning misfortune around to be another's luck. The twin's birthday, here after called the Day of Shakes by the people of Gardinia, resulted in the deaths and loss of homes of many of the poorer residents of the town. One such unlucky soul, by the name of Saylira, lost her whole family and home. A girl of only twelve, she most likely would have died, as no one would be willing to take such an unlucky child into their home. But it was just what the Lord Devron needed. Saylira was desperate. She had nowhere else to turn. In exchange for a home, food and protection, she would take care of the children, and hide the Devron secret from the outside world. And so it happened that after the day of Shakes, the young Saylira was taken into the house of Devron to raise the Kyrin and Jensa, children of the Black Moon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2. Getting to know you.

"Jeeeeeeeenieeeee! Don't get so far ahead!"

Small six-year-old legs hurried to catch up with the fearless adventurer, always five steps ahead and into some kind of trouble. At the present, little Jensa Devron was running though the mostly empty streets of Gardinia, in a hurry to get to the market. Unlike the more reserved Kyrin, and the major populous of this city, Jensa seemed to be scared of nothing, and lacked any sense of caution. Dark eyes full of mischief as she spotted a flock of birds to surprise, she'd take off, only to find herself nearly strangled as her tunic collar tugged fiercely at her neck. She'd turn around to glare at her captor, but her black eyes would lock onto the soft brown of Saylira. There was not a child in Gardinia who could fight that calm, yet piercing look.

Jensa's body relaxed and she stopped fighting, giving a sheepish grin, "aww, 'Lira, I just wanted to see the birds."  
The young woman just shook her head, smallest quirk of a smile on her lips. She'd look back to see Kyrin just catching up, out of breath and looking a bit tearful at being left behind. She'd pout at her sister, trying to show her how mad she was, but Jensa just laughed, hugging Kyrin. "Sorry, Rin."

Saylira took them each by the hand, and started to walk down the street towards the market. Out of the corner of her eye she could see people glaring from behind cracks in closed windows. Such a noisy and flamboyant show in public was hardly befitting such hard times. Despite the fact that Lady Devron's death remained a secret, it was hard to hide just how different the twins were, Jensa in particular. Kyrin might be seen as a bold child in comparison of other Gardinian children, but next to Jensa, she was downright timid. Jensa's penchant for making noise and getting into trouble was well known throughout the town, much though Saylira tried to control her.

Still she had to admit that she enjoyed Jensa's antics. Living in a town where it perpetually felt like somebody's death room was stifling. Yes, times were hard, but it was like all the joy and happiness in life, every happy thought or smile, was seen as a disrespect to the troubles people have suffered. Most children spent the bulk of their lives indoors, protected from the joy of being a kid and living life. In fact, it seemed like the happiest children were the orphans, not welcome in the city, but as hard to get rid of as the rats. Given the multitude of abandoned and damaged homes and shops it was only too easy for the urchins to hide and thrive in the city. And there were always plenty of them to go round. She would have been one of them, if not for the Lord Devron.

Saylira kept her eyes focused in front of her, ignoring the stares of others who looked down on both her own personal tragedies, and her "loose" control of the twins. The two young girls, however, let their eyes sweep over everything. They only got to go to the market once a week and enjoyed the outings. Not that there was much to see. The town was at most four or five miles across and home to some 600 hundred or so people. Quite possibly the largest human settlement left in the Midlands.

But the town was anything but impressive. Most homes consisted of two or three rooms, and had either one story, or a loft. Those who were well off had maybe 5 or 6 rooms possibly with a real second floor. In the Devron house was practically a mansion, with10 rooms, and a small side house for storing food and animals. The homes were made of mixtures of clay, stone and straw thatching. Windows were mostly covered with boards made of wood, though the really rich could afford glass, a rare commodity.

The heart of Gardinia was where the market stood. Stands of produce, livestock for sale and wild caught game were the bulk of the goods being sold. People from the town would sell what they had grown, foraged or hunted. A few stands would sell cloth and wool, hand woven and dyed by the shepherds. Some of the richer people owned shops instead of selling from stands. They sold things like paper, cookware, linens, and, upon occasion, luxury items like jewelry and toys. Payment was as often taken in trade as it was in currency, people giving what they'd made or offering services, in exchange for wares.

In contrast to the more civilian areas of the town, the market was one of the few places that actually looked alive. Shabby though some of the stands and sellers might be, there were always people there, always things happening. Which was probably one of the reasons the twins so enjoyed going. It proved that people still lived in this city.

For the past six years, Saylira had gone to the market once a week, picking up the food and other goods they'd need for the week. It was only a few months ago that she started taking the twins with her. It was a long walk, and Kyrin would have had trouble making the trip. Jensa, no doubt, could have done it twice over and still had energy to get into trouble. As it was, Saylira had her hands full shopping and keeping an eye on the two of them.

Tucking a long strand of red hair back under her scarf, Saylira mentally went over all that they needed to buy. Of course, the instant she'd let go of Jensa's hand, the young girl had run off towards one of the stands, Kyrin in tow. Saylira trusted in Kyrin to stick to her sister and be the voice of caution, even if Jensa wasn't always inclined to listen. At the moment, two ebony black heads tilted up to peer into a stand of hairbrushes and combs, a few silky hair ribbons winding their way around the other wares. Saylira moved a few stalls over to buy what she needed, always keeping an eye on the twins as she purchased the week's flour and eggs.

"-That's right, broke it right down the middle, they said. Can you imagine?"

Saylira walked up to the stand seller, who was eagerly speaking in overly loud tones to an older woman wrapped in enough shawls to keep even bad luck from finding her amidst them.

"Clearly a child of the devil. What did Moira do then, after seeing her child so possessed of evil?"

"Oh, well, after breaking their stone table, of course, Moira knew he had to be destroyed. She ran to fetch her husband and he gathered the men of their town and did away with the demon child. Good thing too. Would have destroyed the whole town, he would have."

Saylira would fight to not roll her eyes. Tales like these were not uncommon. In fact, it was the delight of town gossips to share such horrific tales, as often to terrify their children into submission as it was to engage in idle discussion. She'd frown when she felt the pull on her skirt, knowing the twins had caught up and heard lord knows how much of that story. She'd clear her throat to get the attention of the shopkeeper, and put an abrupt end to the tall tale. Better to just pay and get out. These town's folk would bring about their own destruction the way their talked.

Placing the goods in her basket, Saylira would begin walking, knowing the children were in tow right behind her. They were unusually quiet for a moment, before Jensa's tiny voice piped up.

"'Lira? What's a 'demon'?"

She'd walk silently for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Demons are creatures that foolish people make up so they can blame their problems on them. They are no more real than the dreams you have while you sleep."

The little girls thought on that. Jensa seemed to just accept the answer, already starting to run ahead. Kyrin, however, walked taciturnly besides Saylira, lost in thought. Kyrin was already so serious at such a young an age. At last, the little girl seemed to have worked out the question in her mind, "if it's made up…how did the little boy break a stone table?"

Saylira just scooped up the girl in her free arm, giving her a kiss on her head. "Never you mind, Kyrin." But deep, in the back of her own head, she too was wondering, 'how indeed?'


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3.

Eight years old, the twins had finally begun their 'formal' education. The school was really more of a joke than anything else. Most children in Gardinia were needed to help at home either in the family trade or to watch the younger children. Only the slightly more prosperous families could afford to not have their children close at hand. Still, for the lucky few, the most basic of subjects, math, reading and writing were the rewards. The class took in maybe 40 of the 150 children of age in Gardinia. To those who could afford it, school was a chance for children get out of the house, and even have some fun, when the teacher wasn't watching too closely. Jensa had the children following her lead within a few days of starting class.

Each day, while they ate lunch, Jensa would share fantastical stories, or else tell of her recent escapades, embellished of course. Kyrin would add in bits here and there, always at just at the right time to best enhance the story. The other kids, ranging in age from 6-14 or so would gather round, spellbound by the tales. Needless to say, the twins were quite popular within the school, and quite unpopular among parents. Especially after the incident with one of the town's water wells.

Only two months into the school experience, Jensa shared a tale she'd overheard about a human who could breath underwater like a fish. Of course, she was convinced she'd seen one living in the town well. So Jensa gathered the school kids together after school one day.

"I'm telling you, she had greenish skin and webbed fingers and she was in the well! She disappeared as soon as she saw me, but she was definitely in there! I think we should try to talk to her."

"No way! She's probably a demon or something, out to steal our souls. You'll be cursed for sure if you try." Tig, one of the older boys nodded, as if he was the authority on such matters.

"Was she really green?" The youngest girl in the class, Vaza asked, eyes wide with fear and curiosity.

"Of course she was! And slimy looking too, like a frog. Wouldn't it be cool to talk to her? Assuming she can talk, that is."

By the time lunch was done, Jensa and Kyrin had almost half the kids agreeing to sneak out of their homes after dinner to try and tempt the fish girl to show up. Ordinarily, families didn't allow their children to go out after dark. Even Seylira tended to keep the twins close by, more fearing human danger, than spiritual. But it was only dusk when dinner was finished and they'd made the excuse that they'd forgotten something outside. By the time Seylira become suspicious, the girls were halfway to the well.

Only half the kids who'd promised to come actually showed up; an impressive turnout of five in total. Some probably had chickened out, but equally likely, they'd gotten caught by their caregivers and hadn't been able to sneak away. The sun was sinking below the horizon, dying the children red in it's fading light as the group approached the well.

The red light, coupled with the mischievous look on Jensa's face was enough to make all but Kyrin back away. She looked almost demon-like as she spoke, flashing a grin, "so….who's brave enough to look?"

Five pairs of eyes searched each other's faces, all the while avoiding Jensa's lest she volunteer them for the job. It was Kyrin that spared them. Her tiny voice made them all look up, surprised to hear her actually speaking. She rarely spoke to anyone but Jensa, and certainly not to a whole group of people, always letting her sister be their spokes person.

"Lets all look at once." Jensa would nod her head in approval and motioned for the others to approach quietly. Seven children crowded around the well, pushing and shoving as Jensa pulled out the small candle she'd hidden in her pocket. Lighting it, she held it up, squinting to see down into the darkness.

"Well? Where is it?" Tig sneered, suddenly much braver now that there was nothing to see.

Jensa, never loosing confidence for a moment would just respond, "probably hiding from your stupid face. Be patient, will ya?"

One of younger girls gave a little terrified squeak, causing them all to jump. Jensa dropped the candle in surprise. As the light traveled down into the well, Kyrin's eyes opened wide in surprise as she saw a large splash in the water, preceding the extinguishing of the candle as it plunged below the surface. Kyrin would look up, thinking they'd all seen what she'd seen. But Jensa's face wasn't eagerly looking down at the water. Instead, she, and everyone else were staring up at a group of very angry, very frightened looking adults hurrying towards them.

"I should have know it was you two behind this! How dare you drag my child into your dangerous antics! Child of the devil, you two are-"

The resounding ring of a hand on face would echo across the grounds, rant stopped midsentence. It seemed as if Seylira had come from nowhere, suddenly placed between the twins and angry mob. "If you kept better watch of your own son, you'd have no need to scold mere children. Don't go blaming your failure of the innocent act of babes."

The woman's cheeks burned red, but she'd retort, "big words from you! You couldn't keep your charges in either! I suppose it comes from having an absent mother and a lax guardian. Mark my words, those two hooligans will one day find themselves in trouble so big even you won't be able to get them out of it."

The next few minutes would be very noisy and chaotic as parents began hurriedly dragging their kids home, out of the dangers of nightfall. Silence fell as just Seylira, Jensa and Kyrin were left behind. The silence was probably the loudest thing the twins had ever heard, because in that absence of words, they realized how much trouble they were in.

"'Lira we're-"

"No. Don't even try to explain. You know that I encourage your curiosity, hopeful that you will not learn to distrust the world around you. But I also didn't raise you to take stupid risks. You know that it's dangerous at night, and you know how people around here are. Do you want everyone here to start accusing you of being cursed, of being demons? Your father has worked so hard to protect you from narrow-minded people, and this is a pretty poor way of repaying him. Now not another word out of you two. We're going home, now."

The twins would follow along, wordlessly. The next day, three of the kids who'd gone to the well had been removed from the school. The rest of the children had been told stories about the twins. Stories horrible enough that the children actually listened to parental warnings and stayed away. By the end of the day, word had spread, and the Devron children were officially labeled outcasts among the students. And in the midst of all that turmoil, Kyrin had completely forgotten about the strange splash and greenish shadow she'd seen that night at the well.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4.

It probably came to no surprise that the twin's reputation of being troublemakers and agents of the devil never really left them. Seylira assured them that adults didn't really believe that it was true, and had only told it to their children so they would stay away from them. But it was clear that most adults saw the twins as…different. For the twins, this incident meant the loss of favor among the other kids. Kyrin didn't mind since she had Jensa and Jensa…well so long as she had an audience, it didn't matter if it was of one, or twenty. Besides, there was always Seylira if they got too bored. Most of the time though, just having each other was enough. Jensa and Kyrin spent their time exploring, playing their own made up games or making up crazy stories, each more fantastic than the last.

When the girls were young, Seylira used to take them to a spot on the edge of the city. It had once been a cultivated field, but three unsuccessful harvests in a row had led the town's people to believe the land was tainted, and unsuited for farming. Now, despite villager's failure to plant anything on that land, wild plant life seemed to thrive there, creating quite the attractive meadow. Jensa and Kyrin continued to use that spot as their own playground, passing entire days there, hidden from prying eyes and gossiping mouths.

In the hours and days the girl's passed there, Kyrin watched Jensa with unwavering fascination. Ever since Jensa had been a young girl, Kyrin had thought her sister to be the most graceful and coordinated of all the other children she knew. Something about the way she moved, how every jump and twirl was always perfectly executed, even those that seemed impossible to Kyrin's young eyes. When Jensa wasn't looking, Kyrin would try to imitate some of the maneuvers she'd seen her sister do, and always wound up falling on her behind. Compared to Jensa, Kyrin felt the clumsiest of creatures.

Jensa would just laugh when Kyrin expressed this thought. She'd take Kyrin by the hand and twirl her around, try to help her walk upon an old wooden fence or get her to hop from stone to stone in the brook. But much as Kyrin would try to keep up, she knew she looked like a newborn foal on wobbly legs, compared to the full-grown mare that was her sister. She was certain Jensa was just gifted, of course.

Kyrin didn't realize just how close that was to the truth. At least, not till she and her sister were almost eleven. There had been a bad storm recently. The whole meadow glittered with droplets of rain, and much of the plant life had been bruised and torn by the high winds. The old tree on the edge of the field was no exception. It was one of their favorites for climbing and sitting under because of its enormous size. Kyrin could see though that it's size and age had worked against it in the storm, as several large branches had snapped, or were bend at odd angles. Leaves littered the ground where they'd been prematurely torn from their stems.

Jensa looked over the damage, giving a low whistle. Her eyes held a dangerous gleam in them as she looked over the bent branches and vines that had been torn from the trunk.

"Now I'm going to have to relearn every branch and stump on this tree."

And with no more warning than that, she'd jumped and caught the lowest branch, pulling herself up and began climbing with no hesitation.

Kyrin watched with wide eyes. "Jeenie, don't! You don't know which branches are weak. They could break!"

Jensa looked down with a laugh, "don't be such a scaredy. This tree is as strong as they come."

Not sooner had the words left her mouth then the branch she was on snapped, her hands slipping on the wet bark. Kyrin screamed. She would have averted her eyes if she could, but they seemed frozen to the spot. Her ears were surprised to not hear the thump of her sister's body hitting the ground, but not nearly as shocked as her eyes for what they were seeing. Jensa somehow managed to catch on to a branch at an impossible angle behind her, grabbing it and swinging her body up and over to land on yet another branch nearly four feet away. She'd land on it smoothly, amazed look on her face echoing that of her sisters. The branch she now stood on, though sturdy, was no bigger around than Jensa's arm and yet she stood upon it with minimal effort, as if she stood on solid ground, not a precarious limb.

Kyrin would stammer, "h-how did you do that?"

Jensa blinked still staring at the branch she'd launched herself from to get to here. "I have no idea but that was so cool! I'm going to try it again."

"Are you crazy? You'll kill yourself. Don't be stupid."

But of course, Jensa had already jumped, catching a branch that could have been outside her reach, and sending her body up and over to land upon it. "This is awesome! You've got to try it, "Rin."

Kyrin just watched in horror as her sister started doing crazy twists and turns that no person should have been able to do. This went beyond being talented…this was, what? The devil's work, a demon possession? This was Jensa, she couldn't be. Just because all the town people said it, well they said it about both of them, and Kyrin certainly couldn't do anything extraordinary like that. This had to be some kind of trick, a dream, hallucination, anything. She knew everything about her sister. There was just no way Jensa could have something so different about her that she'd herself not known about.

Jensa would jump down right in front of Kyrin, arms up in the traditional 'ta-da!' pose. "This is sooo cool! Man, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. Wait till I show Seylira!"

Words finally came back to Kyrin and she grabbed Jensa's arm tightly, "you can't! Don't you see? Don't you understand? This is what the villagers have been talking about. Jensa, you're different. They'll think you're the spawn of a demon, or something. You can't tell, you can't show anyone! They'll banish you….or worse! You have to keep it a secret, ok? Just between us. No one else can know."

Jensa looked a tad disappointed. Whats was the point of having such a cool talent if you couldn't show anyone? But the desperation in Kyrin's eyes was too much for her to ignore. "OK, OK, I won't show anyone. Just you and me, right?"

Kyrin nodded, relived, "just you and me. Like always."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5.

In the months that followed, Jensa spent almost every moment when she was with Kyrin testing the limit of her abilities. She found ropes to tie to trees and fence posts to see if she could walk on them. She'd find bigger and narrower trees to climb and swing on. She'd even do exercises on the ground, finding herself more and more flexible and agile to the point where Kyrin couldn't watch without her stomach turning.

Kyrin was witness to all of these antics, watching with a strange sinking feeling in her stomach as her sister practiced. The feeling was a new one, different from when they'd been shunned at school, or when all those furious adults had turned on them or even the disappointment in Seylira's voice at their careless actions. These feelings were far more unpleasant, and ones she didn't understand.

It wasn't fair, that Jensa should be so special and Kyrin was still the awkward and clumsy girl she'd always been. Kyrin had tried some of the acrobatics Jensa was so adept at, but as always, it resulted with her in the dirt and Jensa trying hard not to laugh. Weren't they both outcasts? Hadn't they both been shunned by the rest of the town, just for being a little bit braver, a little bit more daring? Weren't they twins, sharing everything? But they were far from the same, and never before had that fact been so obvious to Kyrin. They were two sides of a coin, inseparable, yet entirely different picture. Jensa was the shiny side, baring the noble head of some long ago forgotten king, or maybe showing the lush stalks of grain. Kyrin was the tarnished side that spoke only of the minimal value of the coin.

It wasn't fair that she had to be left out from their world, and now, cut out of the one she had shared with Jensa, their own, private existence. The jealousy and loneliness of it all was enough to make her want to scream, to run away; far, far away.

More and more, Kyrin would force herself to stop watching, to stop caring about Jensa's gift. While Jensa was playing around, Kyrin would take walks, exploring the whole meadow, trying to memorize each detail. However, much as she tried to immerse herself in the contained worlds of insects and plants, she couldn't rid herself of the immense emptiness. She started to feel like it was consuming her. Looking at Jensa would only fill her with such hot emotions, ones she was disgusted at herself for feeling. So she did the only thing she could. She began to distance herself from Jensa.

Seylira couldn't help but notice the change. Kyrin would come to her, after she'd feigned sick so Jensa would go to the meadow without her.

Soft brown eyes probed Kyrin's, always seeing through her. "Whats wrong, 'Rin? Did you and Jensa fight about something?"

Kyrin got red in the face, "do I always have to be with my sister? Maybe I just wanted time to be alone!"

Seylira gave Kyrin an almost knowing look, though as far as Kyrin felt, she couldn't possibly understand.

"You're entitled to want some time alone. Then again, if 'alone' time is what you wanted, what are you doing here with me?"

Kyrin would get a distinctly miffed look on her face, "well if you don't want me here, just say so!"

Seylira held up her hands in defense, "peace, young one. I wasn't trying to pry. Still, I'm sure Jensa must feel awfully lonely, without you around. She depends on you quite a bit."

Black eyes turned angry, "don't patronize me. You know Jensa's the strong one. That I'm always following after her, always the timid, quite one. She's the one with all the glitter and the shine. It's me who's always depending on her."

Seylira would get up, starting in on her cleaning responsibilities. She'd toss a worn bristle broom to Kyrin. "I have watched after you girls since the day you were born. I know you better than anyone. And I know how much your sister depends on you. She wouldn't be half so brave and outgoing as she is, if she didn't always have you at her back. You might not yet be able to see it…but you will. Jensa needs you as much as you need her…perhaps more."

Seylira would kneel before Kyrin, putting a hand under her chin so that her gentle brown eyes could look into ebony ones. "You, Kyrin Devron, are a very special child. Don't ask me how I know, but you are destined to change this world. You have a part to play, in the welcoming of a new, better age. At least, that's what I believe. So please don't be so disheartened. Jensa is Jensa and Kyrin is Kyrin. It is not so bad, being the only you who can be."

Kyrin turned away from the gaze, suddenly embarrassed. She'd headed outside with the intent to go catch up with Jensa, only to find herself face to face with her twin. Jensa would give a half cocky-half awkward smile, "I uh…didn't think it was nice to leave you behind, what with you feeling kind of sick and all. Doesn't make me a very good older sister to not keep an eye on you."

A small smile would pass Kyrin's lips. No other words were needed, but in some way, Kyrin felt lighter


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6.

After that day, Jensa didn't seem as interested in her new found abilities. Things went to back to how they had been. How they should be. Except that Kyrin could tell Jensa desperately wanted to be training her new abilities. She was distracted at times, and when she thought Kyrin wasn't looking, she'd sometimes try something or other. Still, there were times when things really did feel back to normal, and Kyrin couldn't help but covet that time, just wanting to be with Jensa as she'd always been.

Then again, if it hadn't been for Jensa's abilities, they never would have found it. Kyrin had been in the process of turning a pile of flowers into an ornate headpiece for Seylira. Jensa had wandered off, saying she planned to collect some more flowers for the pile. However, when she was out of sight she couldn't help do some tumbling, working with her new found flexibility. But when she stopped walking, she found herself at the very edge of the meadow almost to the very border of their town. Just a few more yards, a few more steps, would put her in no man's land. A terrifying, and unknown place that all children were taught to fear. After all, a child who's afraid to go out there won't do anything to get itself or their families banished. Jensa, of course, scoffed at the old wife's tales in front of Kyrin and the other children. Still, despite her boldness, even she was hesitant to actually do something so brave as to cross that invisible line between the safe, protected space of her town and the vast unknown. That is, until she saw it.

It was a tree that had probably stood in that spot for hundreds of years. It's middle was thicker than Kyrin and Jensa put together. But time had at last caught up with the behemoth, or maybe just the decaying state of the land. The whole tree had been uprooted leaving a deep scar in the earth where it had once stood. Only there was something unusual about the hole. It was deep. So deep that from where Jensa stood on the other side of the Edge, it seemed bottomless, as if it was a hole into the very center of the earth. And when a large cloud parted to reveal the sun, Jensa could swear she saw something shine way down in the depths of the darkness.

Curious, but not nearly so confident without her sister, Jensa went running back to where Kyrin sat, face aglow with excitement. She'd grab Kyrin's arm, pulling her up and dragging her towards the tree.

"'Rin! You've got to see this."

Kyrin would stumble to her feet, trying to get them under her before her sister could start dragging her on her face. She didn't even bother asking. Kyrin knew her sister to well. If she was this excited, she was just going to have to show her discovery. Kyrin would hesitate when she saw how close they were coming to the Edge of the city. She'd dig her heals in, convinced her sister had finally lost her mind. Even Jensa had never before been so foolish as to temp fate like that. Jensa, instead of continuing to pull, would let Kyrin's hand drop, satisfied that they were close enough. She'd point at the tree.

"See? Look at the tree, where the roots came up from the ground. Do you see it? Way in the middle?"

Kyrin would look at her sister in confusion, before squinted at the pitch black of the hole. The sun would shine, cooperatively, and her eyes would open in surprise. There was definitely a blue shine from somewhere down in the hole.

"What do you think it is? A piece of glass…or maybe some kind of gem?"

Jensa would grin, "don't know, but I'm going to find out."

Kyrin's eyes would get huge, "you can't be serious! That's over the Edge! And you don't know whats down there. It could be some wild beast, or worse!"

Jensa smiled, feeding off of Kyrin's fear. The more scared her sister was, the stronger she felt. She'd take a few steps up to the very Edge itself. "Come on, it's no big deal. Now are you going to help me, or not?"

Kyrin bit her lip, "what do you need my help for? I'm not going down there!"

Jensa shook her head, grabbing Kyrin's wrist and pulling her to the edge as well. "Just hold my legs, ok? I'm sure it can't be as deep as it looks. I'll just grab it and we'll be right back on the other side of the Edge, ok?"

She didn't give Kyrin a chance to argue though. Jensa had already walked over to the Edge, pulling Kyrin with her. Rin took in a sharp breath, as if she thought there would be no air to breath on the other side. But strangely the world didn't end, they didn't die on the spot and demons hadn't swarmed them. Kyrin looked around suspiciously. Clearly this was a trick of some sort, but she didn't have time to marvel over that because Jensa was already walking over to the tree.

Now that she was closer she could see what had really killed the tree. Thick vines of the Morrow plant were wrapped around it. Everyone knew that the morrow plant was a parasite, finding the strongest host it could, and then drinking all the life out of it. The death of the tree usually meant the death of the plant, but by then it had sent out its seeds, letting its curse continue.

Jensa knelt by the edge of the hole. She really couldn't see a thing in the darkness. It was pitch black and seemed to be bottomless. Jensa swallowed reflexively. Still, she'd come too close now to just back out. Kyrin looked as uncertain as she felt. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she'd motion for Kyrin to come closer.

"OK, you hold on to my legs, and I'll grab the whatever-it-is. Just don't let go, alright?"

Kyrin nodded mutely, kneeling to take hold of Jensa's ankles. Jensa would scoot on her belly closer and closer to the opening, beginning to reach as her body disappeared in the darkness. But no matter how she twisted and grabbed, the mystery object stayed hidden and out of reach. She'd slide even closure, just barely hearing the protests of her twin. Her whole body was practically disappearing into the vast hole.

A loud, startled gasp from Jensa made Kyrin jump. With the loosened grasp, Jensa's legs started to slide away from her, but too late, Kyrin realized her mistake. She'd made a dive for Jensa, but her sister was already vanishing into the hole, filling the darkness of it with her screams as she fell. She lost the sound of the screams without ever hearing a sound of impact. Jensa was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7.

Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. These words ran through Kyrin's head on endless loop as she started down in horror at the spot where Jensa had been only moments ago. She screamed Jensa name, but she could neither see nor hear anything from deep within the inky depths. Shaking, Kyrin would stand, eyes frantically looking for something, anything that might help her. Of course there was no one around to help. That's why they hung out in this desolate place, for the privacy. There wasn't much of anything out here. Just overgrown plants and weeds.

It was then that Kyrin's eyes fell upon the Morrow plant, vines already drying out in the sun, since killing its food source. Kyrin grabbed a fistful of the vine, yanking with all her strength. It was wound tightly and deeply within the tree. Sweat poured down her face as she tugged, feet digging into the dirt with her effort. A resounding crack filled the air as the vine broke through the bark and came loose, sending Kyrin toppling dangerously close to the inky black hole. Face scant inches from the edge, she'd lay there for a moment, waiting for her breath to return to her, hands still clenched around the vine.

After a few deep breaths, she'd wipe the moisture from her palms, moving to start tying the vine around one of the thicker roots protruding from the fallen tree. Each time she tied a knot, she tested the strength. It wasn't till she'd tied about half a dozen before she felt confident in trying it. A smile crossed her lips as she thought of the word 'confidence'. At the moment she was feeling anything but. Still, Jensa needed her, and she couldn't just run away. So it was with shaking hands that she approached the hole, clinging to the vine like a lifeline.

Not knowing the depth of the hole meant she had to climb down slowly, and not risk jumping in. Kyrin knew she'd never have had the guts to do that anyway. It was a painfully slow process as she lowered herself down the line. At any moment she expected the vine to break or the knots to give way. Every inch she moved downwards she felt certain her hands would slip, so covered with sweat, or that her fingers would just give in, unable to hold on any longer. As she made her decent, she was so focused on not falling to her death that she didn't notice at first how things weren't nearly as dark as they should be. In fact, there was an eerie bluish glow that seemed to be getting brighter, not darker, as she went down. As Kyrin's eyes adjusted to the warm dim light, she tried to see what was around her. Her jaw dropped open as she took in the size of this underground cavern. It went on far further than she could even see, and it wasn't empty, not by a long shot. But as she tried to make out what she was really seeing, her hands started slipping.

Her scream barely made it past her lips before she found herself immersed in icy cold water. She hadn't been very far from the surface of an underground spring, just a bit deeper than she was tall. Kyrin would struggle to get to the edge of the water, not being a very accomplished swimmer. Fortunately for her, the water wasn't that deep and after a few very ungraceful maneuvers she was able to touch the bottom of the pool and walk to the surface. Spitting water and thoroughly drenched, she'd drag herself out of the water, lying on the bank for a moment. When she rolled over onto her side, she'd notice another wet area only a few feet away. Jensa had been here.

Kyrin pulled herself to her feet, wringing some water out of her clothes as she did so. Now that she was on the ground, she could see much clearer what filled this cavern. But though she could see it, she was no closer to figuring out just what it was that she was seeing. The closest word she could find to describe it was 'ruins'. But these ruins were unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Her people had very primitive metal and glass working skills. Usually only the very rich could have products made of them and mostly, the items they bought, though highly indicative of wealth and status, could only be described as crude. But these ruins…they used what must have been some kind of metal, but the smoothness and delicacy of the work was of a quality her people couldn't even have dreamed off. Likewise there was glass, stone, and materials she didn't even recognize. Even to her young eyes she could tell that the buildings, tools, all the ruins that lay before her, while clearly broken and long forgotten were things her people would never have been able to recreate.

The sudden brightness to her left made her jump. She'd just walked by what had looked to be a large stone. But now it was giving off the same blue glow that she'd noticed on her decent. Though it was on the ground, she could tell it had been elevated, as if it had been used as some sort of lantern to help light the way. Kyrin couldn't imagine how the stone worked. Giving off light with no flint or tinder or flame, well, it was unheard of. The light allowed her to see more of her surroundings though. She realized that she was in the middle of a street, lined with structures that at one point must have been immense. Even as ruin's some of the buildings stood taller than the most impressive of dwellings she'd ever seen. And they were huge in terms of how much ground they must have covered. How many dozens, or hundreds of families could have fit into those structures? The ground was made of something hard, yet smooth. It was not dirt, nor stone, nor clay. No substance she knew of could have produced a road like that. And everywhere, bits of glass and shiny debris winked in blue flashes like little fireflies.

Something caught her attention. It was big, about the size of a wagon, in the middle of the path. It had glass in it, and also a very shiny, sleek surface that covered the bulk of it. Kyrin ran her hand along it. It felt cold and smooth beneath her fingertips. She leaned forward till her face was pressed almost to the glass in an attempt to see inside the strange container. There were dark shapes within but the glass was so dark, she couldn't make them out. Her hand gasped at a small projection on the side of the object, pressing down as she leaned in.

Suddenly, an ear piecing alarm rang out as a large opening appeared in the side and she went tumbling in. Kyrin screamed in terror Arms and legs struggled, getting tangled in flat ropes and thin vines, not to mention the horrible, unhalting wail that sounded ceaselessly. The more she tried to break free of her cage, the more it tightened around her. Nails dug into skin to try and pull loose the restraints. Over the sound of the cage, she couldn't hear her own screams, wasn't even sure if she was making any sound, or just hanging her mouth open uselessly.

Kyrin had been near blind with panic, when a pair of hands grabbed her and started pulling her roughly by the wrists. Heart plunged into icy cold dread as she fought against her attacker with what limited movement she had. As she fought for her freedom and her life, one thought ran through her head over and over again.

I'm going to die.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8.

"Ow, knock it off, already."

Kyrin would open her eyes, gazing upon those her sister. Relief flooded her face and she tried to hug her, but what she could now realize were flat ropes made of some unknown material were still hopelessly tangled around her.

"Geez you've gotten yourself into quite a mess. Can't you stay out of trouble for five minutes without me?" Jensa was grinning in that cocky way of hers as her hands started to loosen and free Kyrin's limbs. When her arms were free, she'd throw them around Jensa, hugging her sister tightly.

"I was so scared when you fell down here, Jennie. I thought I'd lost you."

Jensa just shook her head, "psh, as if a little fall like that would hurt me. Still, was quite surprised when you started making all that racket. Didn't think you'd come after me. Don't tell me you just jumped into the unknown like that."

Kyrin shifted under her sister's gaze, "you're my sister….of course I'd come after you."

Jensa was touched by these words, but didn't show it. She knew it must have terrified Kyrin. Kyrin just wasn't the brave, foolhardy daredevil that she was. Jensa didn't doubt her sister loved her, but she always saw herself as being the protector, not Kyrin. It surprised her. And she felt ashamed that she doubted her sister.

"So what, you just jumped into that hole with no idea of what might be down here or how deep it went? I must be having a bad influence on you."

Kyrin looked ill at the thought of just jumping into the hole. It had been all she could do just to go in with her vine. She shook her head at Jensa, "I used the Morrow vine to climb down. I think it will hold so we can get back up."

Finally the last of the restraints were free. The strange shape had even stopped making noise. Kyrin got out, starting to nervously look over the thing she'd been in. She could see now how foolish it was to think the thing alive. It clearly wasn't, despite the fact that parts of it seemed to move without anyone helping it, and that it was quite a noisy thing. The only thing Kyrin could think to liken it to was some sort of carriage, as it appeared there were seats in it. But it was the most ridiculous sort of carriage she'd ever seen. For one thing, there were no harnesses or attachments of any sort of an animal to pull it. It also had no wheels that she could see, and it was quite unpractical as it only had a few seats and no space. What was the point of a carriage like that?

Kyrin jumped about a mile when she felt something tug on her sleeve. It was Jensa looking at her with concern. She'd return it with a look of confusion. Apparently she'd been so entranced by the carriage she'd not been paying attention to whatever Jensa had been saying. But instead of apologizing, she'd just ask, sort of in a daze, "what do you suppose this place is…er, was?"

Jensa just shook her head, walking a few paces as her head swiveled this way and that, taking in all the glittering and jagged ruins. "I don't know. No one in the town has ever mentioned anything like this. Whatever this was….it looks like it goes on forever. Probably runs all the way from one end of town, to the other, maybe more."

Kyrin shifted, "do you really think this has been under the town all this time and no one knows about it?"

Jensa nodded, "yup." She'd grin, "Until now, that is. Just think of it, this can be our place. A secret for just the two of us. We can make this place our own and no one can yell at us for being too loud or playing too roughly. It's perfect!"

Jensa practically glowed with excitement. Kyrin herself, wasn't so certain. She didn't know what had happened here in this desolate place or if anyone still lived here. It could be dangerous, more likely, it was cursed and filled with beasts and demons. If any of the villagers ever found out that a place like this existed…well she figured their town would soon be as deserted as this one.

And yet, despite the voices and warnings in her head telling her how foolish this was, she found the thought of having a secret for only her and Jensa very appealing. In recent times it had felt like there was something separating the two of them, even when they'd been right next to each other. Even when she wasn't practicing, Jensa had been totally preoccupied with her newfound abilities. It had felt like she'd lost her. But now, well maybe this could shift the focus, be something they could share. That's why she found herself nodding, even smiling a little.

"OK…we tell no one about it. It's our secret."

Jensa grinned, delighted and filled with ideas and grand plans of all the fun they could have. Already her mind was racing with thoughts of exploring and creating and tall tails. "Well then, there's just one thing we have left to do. We have to name it."

Kyrin's eyes would wander over jagged edges and crumbling walls, before saying, "Gamla. We'll cal it Gamla."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9.

Getting back out of Gamla had been a lot harder than getting in. The Marrow vine hadn't reached all the way down so the two of them together had to find a large chunk of stone and push it into the middle of the underground lake. Even then it was a reach, Kyrin having to stand on Jensa's shoulders to get it. She expressed her concern that Jensa wouldn't be able to get up, but leave it to her sister. In a most impressive maneuver she managed to launch herself high enough to get to the vine and started climbing at a rate that made Kyrin frantic to keep ahead.

By the time they'd neared the top, Kyrin's arms were burning with the effort and the skin of her fingers had rubbed raw and started bleeding. She felt certain she'd never be able to climb those last few yards, but every time she thought she'd surely have to let go and plunge back into the darkness Jensa would be there, offering up encouragement.

"Almost there, 'Rin, feel the fresh air blowing down? I can smell blue blossoms from here."

Another hand over hand, gripping and pulling up and slipping and tightening. Sweat coated her body, but then she actually could feel it. The cool breeze tickling the moisture that covered her skin, making the bumps on her arms stand up. Despite herself she closed her eyes and breathed deeply the faint smell of flowers. It was oddly invigorating. With an unexpected burst of speed that left even Jensa falling behind in wonder, Kyrin reached the twisted root system of the fallen tree, hoisting herself up as her head broke above the ground. She launched herself onto the grass, panting for a moment, before wearily rolling onto her stomach, reaching an arm down to help Jensa. Hands slicked with blood, sweat and sap from the vines, they very nearly broke grip, but tightening her hold on Kyrin's wrist, Jensa pulled herself free from the hole.

The two girls lay drenched, filthy, and completely out of breathe in the tall grass. Night had fallen since they'd fallen down the rabbit hole. From the depth of darkness, Jensa knew it was not just a little past dark. It was late. They'd be in trouble. Big trouble. Seylira would skin then alive for this little stunt. She guessed Kyrin hadn't yet figured that out. Her eyes slid over to her sister, but Kyrin's eyes were closed as she took fast gasping breaths. They lay there for ten, maybe twenty minutes. In the moments that passed, the only sounds that could be heard were the wind rustling the grass, night insects buzzing and chirping quietly, and Kyrin's slow, deep breaths.

At last Jensa sat up, patting Kyrin's leg, "come on, we should get going. Wouldn't want a long-tongued skink after us."

She'd grin, teasing. Of course, she didn't believe in those horror stories parents told their children about the beasts that came out at night. Seylira had always told them that those stories were full of goat droppings. Besides, as a child, they'd given Kyrin terrible nightmares. Which is why Seylira had made up funny tales with the same creatures. Stories so ridiculous that even mentioning the once scary creatures would make Kyrin laugh, just as she was doing now. Kyrin would get up, stifling a huge yawn. She was exhausted after today's events. When she finished stretching, she'd frown. Even in the darkness, Jensa could feel her sister's expression. "It's really late, isn't it?"

Jensa took her 'devil-may-care' tone of voice, shrugging as she started walking in back towards town. "Eh, can't be that late. I bet most people haven't even gone to bed yet. You know how hard it is to keep track of time once the sun goes down."

The stillness of the street revealed Jensa's lie though. The town square was deserted, deadly quiet. Kyrin stuck close to Jensa, uneasy at being out so late. Jensa pretended like she didn't notice. This damn town always gets to damn quiet, she thought to herself. She could see how worried Kyrin was, so she figured she should make some noise, lighten the mood. So she'd start doing back bends and agile flips; the kind that made Kyrin's back hurt just watching them. It seemed so impossible and yet Jensa's grace made it seem so natural. Jensa jumped up on the well, walking on her hands around the edge. Kyrin forgot her fear about being out so late and instead, shifted it to fear for her sister's safety. A clear diversion, on Jensa's part.

"Oh Jensa, cut it out! You're going to fall in again, and I don't think I could stand going in after you a second time today."

Jensa was having too much fun showing off though, now doing cartwheels and flips around and around the edge of the well. At one point, Jensa seemed to slip, a part of the well damp from some spill earlier that evening. Jensa's body twisted dangerously towards the inky black darkness of the well, before Jensa's hand reached out, grabbing backhanded wise at the frame of the well, and managing to turn her fall into a graceful dismount from the well. Kyrin's mouth opened, but her scream sounded oddly disembodied as if came from someone else. Jensa's head shot up, but not towards her sister. No, towards the sound of the scream, which had, in actuality, come from Mrs. Timbre, her expression aghast at what she'd just seen.

"D-deamon! The spirits posses you and fill you with evil…spawns of the hellbeasts-"

Whatever else Mrs. Timbre had been about to say was lost as Kyrin had grabbed Jensa by the wrist and starting running with all she had towards home. She could feel Jensa tugging back, as if trying to hinder their escape, but Kyrin wouldn't let go and she wouldn't stop. Not till she saw the lantern in their kitchen window. She'd let go of Jensa, tilting her head in surprise, Jensa oddly gasping for breath behind her, seemed oblivious of the oddity.

"Seylira left the light on…"

No one left lights out because it served as beacon to show the creatures of the night to your home. More reasonably though, people didn't leave lights on because no one stayed out after dark, so they didn't need to. To have left the lantern hanging out the window meant they were in big trouble because-

Crack!

The sound reverberated as pain spread through her cheek. A sound of surprise told her Jensa had been struck as well. Before she could register the source of the attack, she was being dragged by the collar of her shirt towards the front door. Two pairs of eyes would blink, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. When things came into focus again, the girls would find themselves looking into the red-tinged face of Seylira. In all the days of Jensa's antics, Kyrin had never seen a look like that on Seylira's face. It was enough to make her quell in fear. Her voice, though more a harsh whisper than angry shouting, was even worse than the look.

"What were you two thinking? I didn't raise you two to be fools, and yet here you are, trotting back in after being out half the night! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? I've been sitting here trying to figure out what horrible fate had claimed your lives. Fools! Childish, selfish idiots. This world may not be half as dangerous as your neighbors might have you believe, but it's about twice as dangerous as Jensa gives it credit for. And you, Kyrin! I would have expected better judgment of you. I'm very disappointed in you two. I thought I'd raised you two to be smarter than this. Now get to bed this instant. You're not to leave this house until I decide you can."

Even Jensa didn't have a cocky smile or smart response to offer up. She just grabbed Kyrin's hand and scurried off towards the bedroom. There were no words as they silently got ready for bed. Kyrin could feel her cheeks burning in shame, and she wondered if Jensa's felt as hot. The girls climbed into bed. Within minutes, Jensa's slow steady breath joined the sounds of the night. For Kyrin, it would be a long, restless night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10.

If the girls had hoped that Seylira's temper would have cooled over the remaining few hours of night, they'd be sadly disappointed. Their father said nothing about their strange absence. He had faith that whatever punishment Seylira had would be far worse than whatever he came up with. At breakfast, there was no butter, nor fruit, or even jam for their bread. Seylira didn't speak to them, or even look at them, and things that were place on the table were usually accompanied with a rattling clatter as they were handled a good deal rougher than they should have been. Already a cup of milk had been plunked down with enough force that it knocked over and spilled all over the table. Kyrin had jumped up and grabbed a rag to clean it, but Seylira was already rubbing at the table hard enough to wear a hole in the wood. Kyrin just keep her eyes pointed towards the floor.

Jensa, however, seemed unaffected. She kept staring out the window, oblivious to the swirling clouds of anger and discomfort from her two breakfast mates. Kyrin enviously wished she could so easily escape the torture that was Seylira's wrath. As soon as the meal was over, Jensa jumped up with a grin, heading towards the door.

"Not on your life! You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here until you've learned some sense about this world you live in."

Jensa pouted, readying herself to try and argue her way out of this. But before she could get a word out, Kyrin had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the room.

"Hey, HEY! Whats the deal? I don't want to stay in here all day! Seylira's going to change her mind, I just have to show her that she's being an overprotective ninny. I'm not a child, and she can't treat me like one."

Kyrin shook her head, "you can't fight her on this one."

Jensa frowned, "oh yeah? Why not?"

Kyrin shifted, eyes downcast "don't you get it? She was scared. She was really worried about us."

Jensa just made a face, "why should she be? We're not little kids any more. And besides, she's not our mother, so she should stop acting like it! She's starting to act like everyone else is this stupid town. Cowards, every one of them! Everyone's afraid to live, to take chances. Whats the point in being alive, if you're never free. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of playing by the rules when it's clear the rules are nothing but bars on a cage."

Kyrin would have a surprised look on her face, "y-you don't mean that…about 'Lira? She's been so good to us. She loves us. She only wants to keep us safe."

"No, she wants to keep us by her side forever. She lost her family, so she's trying to replace them with us. She just can't handle the thought of being alone. Well I'm tired of her trying to tie us down all the time. She's nothing but the hired help, so she should just act like it and do like we tell her to."

Kyrin was struck speechless by this outburst. Sure, Seylira and Jensa had always butted heads, what with Jensa being so headstrong and Seylira being so protective, but Jensa had clearly loved and even respected Seylira, even if she didn't always show it. This flood of anger was like the rivers after the spring thaw, overflowing with force, and with no concern for whatever gets caught in its wake. Her prolonged silence seemed to confirm Jensa's suspicions of Kyrin's stance in the matter. She'd make an annoyed noise and opened the window, getting ready to launch herself out of it to freedom. "Stay here if you want, but I'm going out."

And with that, Jensa was out and off, leaving a stung and shocked Kyrin behind. The whole thing had lasted mere minutes and yet, to Kyrin, it felt like a year had passed. Her day dragged into eternity, as she lay in her room, trying to piece together Jensa's words and actions, fit them into some logical progress. But the harder she tried, the less sense it all made.

And despite the fact that Jensa had so clearly left her behind again, Kyrin found herself covering for her. Whenever Seylira peeked in, Kyrin would say Jensa was in the bathroom or sleeping. She felt lousy, lying to Seylira after what they'd done only the night before, but she feared a worse fight between Jensa and Seylira should she tell the truth. At least, that's what she told herself. In all honesty, she was more afraid of Seylira being disappointed in her again.

As the day passed, Kyrin started feeling more and more uneasy. What if Seylira found out? What was taking Jensa so long? As the day began to darken into shades of blue and purple, unease darkened to doubt, then concern, then fear. At last, when Kyrin knew that dinner was imminent and the sun was undeniably beginning to dip below the horizon, she could stand her silence no longer.

She left her room in search of Seylira, intent on confessing all their misdeeds. But strangely, she wasn't in the kitchen, preparing dinner, nor could she be found anywhere else in the house. Seylira rarely went out at this time of evening, so Kyrin was pretty unsettled to realize she was alone in the house. There was no one to help her. She'd just have to find Jensa on her own. On the upside, if she worked fast enough, maybe she could get her back here before Seylira realized they were missing. Kyrin realized that it was possible that Jensa had gone back to Gamla. She'd run to grab a lantern and flint, the clothing line in case the Morrow vine was no longer stable, and her cloak to keep out the chill night air.

She'd slip out the door and started headed immediately for the edge of town. It was still light enough that people should have been walking around the town center, hurriedly finishing the errands for the day before the night set in. But the streets were as empty as they'd been last night. Things were oddly still, even for this place. Kyrin suppressed a shiver, despite the relative warmth of the evening. Something just didn't feel right.

Kyrin jumped when she heard raised voices. "She's a devil!" "Spawn of monsters, an abomination!"

"She'll kill us all, taint our children and pervert them to her evil deeds." "She must be destroyed, sent back to the hell hole she came from."

Kyrin broke into a run, stopping short in horror at what she encountered. A crowd of thirty, maybe forty people, an impressive turn out for such a small town. They formed a tight circle around something, but Kyrin couldn't see what. So far, she'd not yet been noticed, so it was easy to climb up on the roof of a firewood lean-to. From there, she could see whom all those angry people ringed in. It was Jensa. And right in front with her, was Mrs. Timbre, pointing a long, thin finger at Jensa accusingly.

"I saw her, last night. She moved like a serpent, as if she had no bones in her body. She's clearly a wild spirit dressed in the guise of a human! She'll poison our whole village. She's already tainted our cursed lives. That drought last year? The storm that tore our land apart the night they were born! She's brought this town nothing but hardship. She must be dealt with!"

The crowd nodded its approval, the word, 'exile' being whispered from person to person. That was the standard punishment, of course. Anyone who was different, anyone who could be held up as the scapegoat. Kyrin felt an icy pit in her stomach. Exile was the worst thing that could happen to Jensa. How would she ever survive out in the wilds? Feverishly her mind was trying to come up with a way out, something she could do to pacify the crowd. She hadn't even noticed at first that Mrs., Timbre had started speaking again.

"-not the right course of action. This blight is too powerful. Her Spirit will not leave this town easily, she will haunt it, curse us from afar. No, we need to take more powerful methods."

Kyrin's body tensed as the world seemed to slow down in front of her. The whole movement should have taken but a moment and yet it seemed endlessly slow, as if she had all the time in the world to join the crowd, calmly talk to them about their mistake and convince them that no, her sister wasn't possessed by the devil. As the seconds passed by though, her body felt heavy, feet planted into the boxes she stood atop. The only part of her that was able to move was her eyes as they followed the silver arc of the long handled knife. She was struck by how graceful the movement was, an after image of silver following behind like the tail of a shooting star. The beauty of the image was fleeting as are all things, red staining the falling light, extinguishing with it, the flames of hate.

This time there was no doubt as to where the scream came from it. It boiled up from deep inside, coursing out of ever part of Kyrin's body. She felt it, the cold steal imbedded in the side that was hers, but wasn't. The pain was real, a deep and eternally severing cut. For one moment, twin reflections into the soul locked on to each other, an eternity passing in an instant as time finally began to move again. But the reflection died as the lights went out. One body falling limply to the ground, a black mark in a sea of red, the reflection of the body, released from it's spell, and suddenly barely able to hold itself up. Barely aware of the stares and yelling moving ever closer to her. Her scream had drawn the attention of all those present, still echoed through the town, carried by some unseen wings to the very ends of the settlement and out into the wild lands. Broken threats and curses jumbled together in her head, forming incoherent sentences.

Kill

twin

same

taint

curse

revenge

stop

don't

must

never

let

one

live

Something was tearing, some fundamental part of the fabric that held her together. There was a large gash inside her, through which all that she knew was rushing out, like the red flood that drained from her Same. She'd been left behind, not able to keep up, not able to follow. Never again to follow, never again to be the one in back. Time would not slow down, nor flow in the typical pattern that other people…those people lived in. From now on, time is her own, accelerated never slowing down, never being caught, never being left in the dust. And indeed time had sped up, or perhaps everything else had slowed down while she'd stayed the same. Houses, trees, people all seemed to speed by her, and yet, they were standing still, and she was moving. The solidness of earth beneath her seemed more like the fluid movement of water, instead of the constant pressure of land.

Never stop, never be left behind, never, never, never. Keep moving, keeping running away; never stand, never fall.

Out of time, out of space, out of town, but never out of land, always more, always farther to go. With feet unmoving, they carry father, faster than the wind.

Farther and farther, closer and closer. No end, no beginning. Take the plunge, nowhere to go, nowhere to stay, no no no.

All there is, is the ever approaching black depths. Don't hesitate, don't falter, up to the edge, don't even stop. Just jump, jump into the darkness, fall into nothing, give yourself over to the engulfing, suffocating cold.

We are alone.


End file.
